BootsnAll Travel Network



‘Dam Good Cheese!

I’m still pretty far behind on our summer travels, but this one requires a post.  At the end of June we took a week off (we get 5 weeks vacation now after all!) and went to Amsterdam, via London.  Aside from the shopping and dining opportunities that a big city presents, it was also nice to be tourists for a while.  We stayed at a small hotel in one of the many townhouses along the canals and immediately set off to explore the city.  After an exhausting day of walking, we gave in and rented bikes.  Everyone else is riding them for good reason – you can cover a lot more area comfortably and the city is really set up perfectly for bikes.  The only downside is that you need a least 2 very heavy locks, as theft is pretty common.

After a few days downtown, we headed out to see some of the country side.  After coming from Austria, we were surprised at how flat the landscape is!  The windmills and wooden shoe shops are touristy, but fun.  However, we had something else in mind and arrived in Alkmaar on a Friday morning when they hold the traditional cheese market.  Huge wheels of gouda are sold, weighed, and carried out by groups with different colored hats.  It’s partly for show, but there is real business being done, and afterward we snacked on some of the finished product.  Yum!

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